NORTHEAST TIMES
NEWSWEEKLY
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ZONE 1 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2008
NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA’S PREMIER COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Right up
their alley
By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor
It’s been more than a half century, but
Tony and Pat Florkowoski still have it.
The former bowling aficionados are at
it again, thanks to the Nintendo Wii — a
new game console that allows participants to physically act out various sports,
including bowling, with a remote-control
paddle.
For the majority of their lives, the husband-and-wife team have shared a mutual love for strikes and spares. Now they
are living in the Villages of Pine Valley —
a 55-and-older active-adult community —
and have a chance to strike up some fun
with the neighborhood’s new Wii bowling league, which offers various tournaments once a week.
“All the grandkids know how to do it,
and now that we know how to do it, it’s
going to be fun,” said Tony Florkowoski,
a lifetime Northeast resident. “I’m having
a lot of fun with it. Plus it’s something
that you can do with a lot of people.”
The newest creation from the same
intelligent imaginations that brought us
Super Mario Brothers and Zelda in the
mid-1980s, the highly popular Wii has
sold millions of consoles worldwide since
its release last year.
The Wii console comes with a Wii
sports game, allowing players to try out
various bowling, boxing, golf and baseball activities and competitions. The sensitive wireless remote permits participants
to move seamlessly, their movements
replicated onscreen by a cute Wii character, called a Mii.
For most, it’s a fun and entertaining
new gadget.
However, for bowling buffs like the
Florkowoskis, it’s an opportunity to relive
their glory days at the bowling alley.
“I can’t pick up a bowling ball anymore, because I broke my elbow, so it’s so
great to be able to bowl again,” said Pat,
who grew up in Mayfair and graduated
from St. Hubert High School in 1955.
“That’s the best part of all this.”
After a nasty fall two years ago, Pat —
who calls herself a lifetime bowler — had
to give up the sport she’d come to love.
However, with the arrival of Wii, she’s on
a roll once more.
“My elbow is OK now,” she said, after
tossing her second strike of the day last
week at the Villages of Pine Valley
Clubhouse. “It’s not straight, but it’s
good.”
The 70-year-old isn’t the only whiz on
the Wii. She has some stiff competition
from husband Tony during the weekly
competitions.
“We’re trying to set up bowling teams
and baseball teams that can actually play
each other on the Wii,” said the clubhouse manager, Virginia Simon.
“Everyone really seems to like it.”
The Villages of Pine Valley, located
next to Pennypack Park on Pine Road, is
a community where residents 55 and
older can live in homes, apartments or
condominiums. A clubhouse was recently
added to the 3-year-old development,
which hosts a plethora of activities,
including the Nintendo Wii tournaments.
“We have things like card night, game
night, we show Phillies games on the flatscreen TV,” said Simon. “We also have an
art program, craft programs in the fall, a
library area with a fireplace, exercise
classes, line dancing, a pool with water
aerobics . . . .”
And the list goes on. Many of the
events held at the newly built clubhouse
— which officially opened in February —
are possible thanks to the community’s
residents.
For instance, Pine Valley resident John
McGahey teaches a sketch and drawing
class, and fellow resident Alex Yeh leads
tai-chi classes at the clubhouse. But if you
ask most of the community regulars, the
most popular activity is definitely the Wii.
“I like that it gets everyone involved,”
said Tony. “A lot of people in our community can’t do it anymore because the
ball is too heavy or whatever the reason.
Now they can. And we’re all looking forward to playing more. It’s great to get
everybody together and have fun.”
When Tony isn’t bowling virtual strikes
on the television screen, he’s tossing the
JENNY SWIGODA / TIMES PHOTO
Longtime bowlers Tony and Pat Florkowoski, who live at the Villages of Pine
Valley, an active-adult community in Northeast Philadelphia, can continue their
bowling career during the community’s weekly Wii bowling tournaments.
real deal at the Harmonia Club, located
at Aramingo Avenue and Orthodox
Street.
“I’ve been with them for about thirtyfive years,” he said. “Now I’m a lifetime
member down there, so it’s a lot of fun.”
In fact, Tony, 71, has been a force in
the bowling alleys since his days at
Abraham Lincoln High School, where he
bowled for the Railsplitters before graduating in 1953.
“I’ve always loved to bowl. I also played
softball, but then I had two Achilles-tendon operations,” he said of the ankle
surgery.
“After getting the Achilles-tendon
operations, you have to play more controlled sports,” Tony explained. “You
can’t have any sudden movements, so I
couldn’t play softball or basketball or anything like that, but bowling and golf are
OK.”
And so golf and bowling are what he
did.
About once a week, Tony heads out to
the Five Palms Golf Course in
Warminster, Pa., to take a round of
swings. When that isn’t possible, now he
can practice by swinging a remote control.
“I really enjoyed the Wii golf game
too, because I golf,” he said with a smile.
“The Wii is good because it’s not strenuous, but it’s still a lot of fun. And for the
most part, anybody can do it — that’s the
best thing.” ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached
at 215-354-3035 or [email protected]